The marker reads.. "Chicago Landmark District
Printing House Row
The proximity of the Dearborn Street railroad station, along with the area's long narrow blocks, made this a desirable location for buildings housing printers at the end of the 19th century.
Commission on Chicago Landmarks
City of Chicago
Richard M Daley, Mayor."

Just as State Street grew as the major retail bussiness area and LaSalle Street as the financial hub of the city, Printing Row District grew as the center for printing and publishing. The Printing Row District or the Printing House Row District [as is officially called] grew mainly between 1883 and 1912 ... Contributing significantly to it's growth was the opening of the Dearborn Street Station in 1885, which attracted significant commercial development in the area. In addition to printing and publishing there were also subsidiary trades that employed scores of workers, like typesetters, etchers, mapmakers and bookbinders ...

However during the 1930's and 40's this area began to decline. Technological advances in printing with the use of automated presses and the slowdown of the railroad industry, forced many printing companies to leave the Printers Row area. Many moved to the suburbs. By 1971, when Dearborn Station was closed the Printers Row had virtually became a ghost town.

In 1978, Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic committed to the revitalization of Printers Row ... Many of the buildings have now been converted into apartments are in residential use ... In 1977, the Donohue Building became one the first buildings to be converted to residential space ... New housing have been constructed on the land formerly used by the railroad ..

In 1996 the Printing House Row District was designated a Landmark District by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Many of the neighborhood’s buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the last works of architect John M. Van Osdel [1811 – 1891] considered Chicago’s “first” architect.
Wikipedia offers some interesting trivia: Van Osdel planned the first architect-designed house in Chicago for the first Mayor of Chicago, William Ogden. The house was located on Rush Street. Ogden commissioned Van Osdel, who came from New York to Chicago for the job. By 1844, he had opened Chicago's first architectural firm. He is considered a Chicago school architect and a peer of William LeBaron Jenney, Dankmar Adler, Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, John Wellborn Root and Frank Lloyd Wright. In fact, he and William W. Boyington are considered the most prominent Chicago architects of the period from the city's incorporation in 1837 until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ...

The Morton Building..
Address: 538 S. Dearborn Street ..
Architect: Jenney and Mundie ..
Completed: 1896
William Bryce Mundie was hired by William LeBaron Jenney, [who is credited as the “father of the skyscraper."]. Their partnership became to be known as Jenney and Mundie.

The Pontiac Building..
Address: 542 S. Dearborn Street
Designed by Holabird and Roche
Completed: 1891.
Commissioned by developers Peter and Shepard Brooks of Boston, MA. and named for an Ottawa Indian chief. The Pontiac Building is one of the four oldest skyscrapers in Chicago, and the oldest skyscraper by architects Holabird & Roche.

The Transportation Building..
Address: 600 S. Dearborn Street
Designed by Frank V. Prather
Completed in 1911.
Once housed office space for Elliott Ness.
The Transportation Building runs the entire length of the 600 South Dearborn block. Its 22 stories made it the tallest structure south of the Loop. As such its roof housed early towers for sending out radio signals. The name of the edifice suggests that not every building on the street was entirely devoted to printing and publishing.
[Ref: History between the Hotels: A Self-Guided Tour ] ..

The Donohue Building..
Address: 711 – 727 S. Dearborn Street
Designed by Julius Speyer
Built in 1883 in Romanesque revival style ..
Annex designed by Alfred S. Altschuler and added in 1913.
The Donohue Building was built by a children's book manufacturer.
# For more on the Donohue Building, click here..

The Rowe Building..
Address: 714 S. Dearborn Street
Built in 1892 and renovated in 1980..
Architect: ??
It now houses the Sandmeyer's Bookstore .. a typical "mom-and-pop" shop, Sandmeyer's has been family-owned and operated since 1982.

Lakeside Press Building..
Address: 731 S. Plymouth Court
Architect: Howard Van Doren Shaw
Built in 1897 and 1901 ..
Commissioned by the R.R. Donnelley Co. and designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw [his first non-residential building] ...
The architect, Howard Van Doren Shaw, creatively blended traditional approaches to ornamentation with the needs of an industrial facility. The building was erected in two stages in 1897 and 1902.

The Mergenthaler Building..
Address: 536 S. Plymouth Court
Designed by Schmidt, Garden and Martin .
Completed: 1917.
The firm is credited with several commercial, industrial and residential buildings and few are designated as Chicago landmark buildings like Theurer-Wrigley House, Madlener House, Chapin and Gore Building and Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalog House..

The Station, originally completed in 1885, with its 12-story Romanesque clock tower can be seen from many blocks away. Its walls, hand made of red pressed brick and pink granite gave a strong personality-built during a time when U.S. railroads were powerful and sought to confirm their economic might by creating structures in the neo-classic style.

As the railroads declined in importance, passenger traffic diminished and operations ceased at this terminal in 1971.

After years of neglect, the station began a new life in the mid-1980s as a commercial center, enhancing the surrounding revitalizing community. It is one of the oldest railroad stations in the U.S. and the last remaining of Chicago's early downtown stations. Its designer was a noted New York architect.

In 1924, the roof, upper floor and attic of the Station completey destroyed by fire started in the Tower. Santa Fe architects and engineers rapidly reconstruct the damaged floors.

In 1925, stores and tenement buildings on the West side of State Street demolished to make way for the timber canopy and platform to be used by the U.S. Mail Service.

By 1971, Passenger Railroad Industry diminishes due to expansion of the U.S. Expressway System and the Airline Industry ... and by 1985, Dearborn Station closes to passenger service, building is used mostly as offices for Railroad.

By 1995, The Dearborn Station reopens as a combined office/retail facility and urban marketplace with over 120,000 square feet of leasable space. In all its glory Dearborn Station once again emerges as the focal point for Chicago's South Loop Neighborhood and Chicago's Historical Printer's Row District.

The above two images gives an idea of the beautiful interiors and the steps seen below takes one up an down the tower ...

The building was built by the Franklin Printing Company and housed presses until 1983.. In 1987 the Franklin Building was purchased from the Borg-Warner Corporation for $2.7 million by developer Duncan Henderson. He recognized the building’s unusual architectural features and potential. In 1976, Henderson moved to Chicago from New York City where he had lived in a loft in SoHo. He became a pioneer of loft development in Printers Row when he and architect Harry Weese rehabbed the Donohue Building in 1977.

The 14-story Franklin Building underwent an extensive $9 million renovation. The structure’s interior was gutted and 65 residential units were created. The restored Franklin Building opened for occupancy in September 1989, the last major renovation of loft space on Printers Row.

The most impressive feature for me is the ornamental tile work adorning the east facade of the building. The main mural over the entry entitled “The First Impression” depicts men working at the Gutenberg press. An inscription executed in terra cotta tile over the doorway reads, “The excellence of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose.” Other picture tiles represent printing and publishing activities from Benjamin Franklin’s time. Chicago artist, Oskar Gross, designed all of these picture tiles specifically for the Franklin Building ...

This post is mostly about the exterior ornamentaion on the building. The mural tiles are made by Chicago artist Oskar Gross.

The main mural over the entry is titled “The First Impression”. It depicts men working at the Gutenberg press. An inscription executed in terra cotta tile over the doorway reads, “The excellence of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose.” Other picture tiles represent printing and publishing activities from Benjamin Franklin’s time..

The plaque reads .. " Built in 1883, the Donohue Building was the first large printing factory in the historic Printing House Row District. The Donohue Building served until 1971, as the headquarters of the M.A. Donohue Publishing Company, a well known publisher of classic children's literature. The building achieved another first in Chicago history in 1979, becoming the first of the city's factory lofts to undergo conversion into a residential condominium .. "

The Old Franklin Building ...Address: 521-5 S. Dearborn StreetArchitect: George C. Nimmons Built in 1886 ... Note how its windows were grouped together to provide as much light as possible for the typesetters inside ...

One of the last works of architect John M. Van Osdel [1811 – 1891] considered Chicago’s “first” architect. Wikipedia offers some interesting trivia: Van Osdel planned the first architect-designed house in Chicago for the first Mayor of Chicago, William Ogden. The house was located on Rush Street. Ogden commissioned Van Osdel, who came from New York to Chicago for the job. By 1844, he had opened Chicago's first architectural firm. He is considered a Chicago school architect and a peer of William LeBaron Jenney, Dankmar Adler, Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, John Wellborn Root and Frank Lloyd Wright. In fact, he and William W. Boyington are considered the most prominent Chicago architects of the period from the city's incorporation in 1837 until the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 ...

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All the images in this blog and my other blogs, have been produced by me. See and enjoy the images. But please do not use or reproduce any of these images without written permission.
Contact at: jyoti[at]lensimpressions[dot]net